Santa Claus' Main Post Office ( fi, Joulupukin Pääposti) is a tourist destination in Santa Claus Village in the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

, about north of Rovaniemi. It is the only official Santa Claus´ Post Office and part of the Finnish postal services. It is open all year and over 100 international media and about half a million visitors from around the world are welcomed by Christmas-dressed postal elves. In 1985, Santa Claus’ Main Post Office received over 17 million letters. In 2014 Santa Claus received most letters from China, Italy and Poland. In Santa Claus' Main Post Office visitors can also read letters sent to Santa. A letter writer can arrange to have a letter mailed to them from Santa before Christmas.

History

The Santa Claus' Main Post Office building is made from natural stone and pine trees. In front of the building is Elf’s tower. In 1950, Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of Franklin D. Roosevelt, made a visit to Rovaniemi. Roosevelt Cottage was built to commemorate her mailing the first letter sent from within the

with a special stamp on November 6, 1950. The cottage is still in front of the Santa Claus' Main Post Office. In December 2014, Google Street View photographed the interior of Santa Claus' Main Post Office as part of the Santa Claus Village to their Street View Special Collection.

Arctic Circle special stamp

Each letter, card and parcel mailed at Santa Claus’ Main Post Office is franked with a special postmark and stamp.{{Cite web, url = http://www.emissourian.com/features_people/feature_stories/a-visit-to-santa-s-village-in-the-arctic-circle/article_d96f2490-cc26-5856-8b9f-2d2d5aac9019.html, title = A Visit to Santa's Village in the Arctic Circle, date = , accessdate = April 26, 2016, website = , publisher = The Missourian, last = , first = The logo of Santa Claus’ Main Post Office was designed by Finnish graphic designer Pekka Vuori. The logo is also a registered trademark. The postmark contains a stylized logo that was changed to its current form by graphic designer Jukka Talari in 2012. This special Arctic Circle postmark is a popular collectable and souvenir.

Notes and references

External links

Official website of Santa Claus' Main Post OfficeOfficial website of Santa Claus Village
Santa Claus Rovaniemi Amusement parks in Finland Buildings and structures in Lapland (Finland) Tourist attractions in Lapland (Finland) 1950 establishments in Finland Amusement parks opened in 1950